1966 Ford Mustang - Junkyard Crawl

Though convertibles and 2+2 (fastback) models get all the stares and collector dollars today, the basic Mustang hardtop accounted for well over three-fourths of all Mustang sales during the car's first few years of production. For instance, of the 607,568 Mustangs sold in 1966, 35,698 were 2+2 fastbacks and 72,119 were convertibles. By contrast, a whopping 499,751 were hardtops. Get the point?

2/5First-generation Mustangs (like many Ford models) have the all-important warranty plate riveted to the driver-side door. When the door goes missing (as it has here), you lose vital information describing original specifications like paint color, interior trim style, vehicle assembly date, where the car was originally delivered, axle type/ratio, and transmission type. Dig the clean, rust-free body. The only signs of repairs are small patches on the lower quarter-panels.

Seems the 2+2 fastback's miniaturized trunk lid opening and the convertible's reduced-volume trunk compartment weren't practical enough for most buyers. But the hardtop offered a larger trunk lid than the 2+2's mail slot, and its trunk volume wasn't compromised by the convertible's folding top mechanism. The kicker for many customers was the hardtop's starting price-some $200 less than the other body styles offered. Here's a sweet '66 hardtop we spotted recently at Desert Valley Auto Parts in arid Phoenix (www.dvap.com, 800/905-8024). It'd make a great starting point for any number of cool projects.

Groovy Factoids
• When Ford introduced the Mustang on April 17, 1964, first-day sales were a record-smashing 22,000. That's in one day. By the time April 17, 1965 rolled around, Ford had sold a total of 418,812 Mustangs. The ponycar was born, and the rest of Detroit quickly realized it wanted a slice of the action. If you love Cougars, Camaros, Firebirds, Barracudas, Challengers, and Javelins, you owe a debt of gratitude to the original Mustang.

• An optional front bench seat was offered for just under $25.00 on '65 and '66 hardtops and convertibles. But of the 1.3 million first-generation Mustangs sold, only about 2,000 were ordered with the Falcon-esque front bench seat (with fold-down center armrest). All others got sportier front bucket seats.